- Canadian
PM Mark Carney travels to China next week. - Meeting
with President Xi Jinping scheduled. - Aims
to diversify Canada’s trade partnerships.
For the first time in more than eight years, a Canadian
prime minister will travel to China. When they met last October on the fringes
of the Asia-Pacific conference, Xi invited Carney.
Carney wants to quadruple Canadian exports outside of the US
over the next ten years, which is why he is making this drive to interact with
China. With over 75% of Canadian exports currently going to the US, this occurs
in the midst of the USMCA review.
“We are forging new global partnerships to shift our
economy from reliance on a single trading partner to one that is more resilient
and better equipped to handle global shocks,”
Carney said in a statement.
Carney will travel to China from January 13 to January 17,
and from January 19 to January 21, he’ll be in Davos, Switzerland, for the
World Economic Forum.
The alternate- biggest trading partner of Canada is
China. Following the arrest
of a elderly Huawei functionary by Canadian authorities under a
repatriation arrangement with the United States, which led to China detaining
two Canadian citizens, ties between Canada and China deteriorated in late 2018.
In 2024, Canada intrigued with the United States to impose a 100%
tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, batteries, and other goods, further
straining relations. Chinese levies on Canadian meat, shellfish, and
canola rose dramatically in retribution. In exchange for Canada removing
its EV tariffs, China has offered to abolish some of these import duties.
A significant revision to the Law of General Import and
Export Taxes (LIGIE), which went into effect in January, was approved by Mexico
last month in an effort to boost domestic industry, address trade imbalances,
and lessen dependency on imports.
Mexico presents the tariffs as a means of increasing
domestic competitiveness, but political pressure from the US undoubtedly played
a role in the decision. The Trump administration has voiced concerns about
China’s expanding influence and asked Mexico to slap levies on Chinese imports
in order to avert US tariffs on Mexican products.
Mexico has little leeway to oppose US requests, according to
Guillermo Barba, Chief Economist of Top Money Report, particularly as trade
tensions escalate and industries like steel demand more robust protections
against Asian producers. The additional tariffs are both an economic policy and
a political reaction to US pressure and wider geopolitical factors because of
Mexico’s asymmetrical trading relationship with China, where it buys
significantly more than it exports, which has heightened calls to protect local
businesses.
Which ministers handle trade and agriculture on this trip?
No public adverts specify which Canadian ministers, if any,
will handle trade and husbandry portfolios during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s
forthcoming January 2026 visit to China for addresses with President Xi
Jinping.
Preparatory visits in December 2025 involved Global Affairs
officers like Deputy Minister David Morrison and Parliamentary Secretary Kody
Blois, alongside trade envoy Aaron Fowler, but barred press ministers. Previous
tactfulness featured International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Industry Minister
François- Philippe Champagne in Asia- Pacific places, yet neither is verified
for Beijing.
Trade conversations on EVs, critical minerals, and canola
likely involve Mary Ng( Export Diversification) or François- Philippe
Champagne( Innovation), given ongoing USMCA tariff pressures. Agriculture
Minister Lawrence MacAulay or inferior counterpart Gulbahar Khatun could join
for food security addresses, reflecting Carney’s slimmed 24- member press
prioritizing effectiveness over large delegations.
